The 2006 National
Tourney has been namedthe Edward A. Bruch 2006 Three-Move National
Tournament.

Ed Bruch, East Amherst, NY

The following was
selected from the recent book: The 1939 10th ACA National
Tournament:

Ed become interested in
the game at 14, by one of his school's coaches, who was a member of the
Buffalo Checker Club, where he met Harrah B. Reynolds, a ranking Master,
who was instrumental in coaching Ed, and also Jack Dworsky and Joe Kitka.
Playing in Hombolt Park, across from the Buffalo Post Office, where
Reynolds was Superintendent of the Postal Div. Practice such as
this, over six or seven years, advanced all three to the expert class.
And so, Ed Bruch entered his first U.S. Nat. Ty. here, at age 22 along
with his coach, H.B. Reynolds, age 26, playing in his final U.S. Nat. Ty.
Ed won three rounds over O'Melay, Gould, and Zuber, drew one round vs.
Gene Winter, and lost to Fuller and Lewis, to finish in a tie for 7th-8th
with DeBearn.

His checker career was interrupted by the
advent of WW2, in which he served in an infantry division under Omar
Bradley's1st Army, with combat in the Normandy invasion,
France, and in the Battle of the Bulge in Germany, April 1941 to October
1945. He joined the Buffalo Police Dept., as a street patrolman in a
densely populated high crime area, and retired in 1980 with the rank of
Lieutenant.

In 1950, Ed traveled by train from Buffalo
with Maurice Chamblee, who had been working for George Wales on the
American Checkerist magazine (A feud with Ryan resulted in the demise of
this magazine), and entered the Paxton Nat. Ty., with 100 plus players,
DKO style. Ed lost to J.Bradford, then won from Langdon, Loew,
Thompson, Semple, and Munger, tied Hallett (who then disappeared for 25
years!), and lost to Freyer, to again finish 7th. He entered the
1958 Bethlehem Nat. Ty, qualifying for Masters with two draws vs. Hellman
in group 1, then lost to Morris Krantz 0-1-3 draws, won from Lanier, then
lost to N.W. Banks 1-2-3 draws, the same score that Banks won from me.
He played in no Nat. Tys. from 1958 to 1972, but won tys. in Lakeside,
NYstate, and Canada. From 1972 until the present time, Ed played in
all 12 Nat. Tys., with his best showing in 1976, finishing 2nd-3rd with
Derek Olbury, who "out psyched me!"

"My biggest disappointment was in the 1988 Nat. Ty.,
paired with Paul Davis in the final round, and in contention, Paul
corrected P.P. by Asa Long, to win, which knocked me back to 7th place.
I have played in three International Matches vs. the British, in 1983
(4th) at Petal, and 5th in England (1989), and the 6th in 1995, also at
Petal." Ed lives with his wife in a patio community in Buffalo, with
his married daughter living nearby. He is the oldest active Master
player, at age 89!